For tests taken on or after 7 August 2025, the standard Subclass 500 Student visa threshold is IELTS 6.0 or PTE Academic 47 overall. Eligible course packages have lower thresholds. Your university sets a separate admission requirement, which may include minimum scores in individual skills.
Official sources checked: 20 September 2026. Use your test date, course package and current evidence requirements when reading the tables. This is an English-test preparation guide, not a decision on your visa eligibility.
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Australia Student visa IELTS and PTE scores: current tests
These overall scores apply to tests taken on or after 7 August 2025. The package rows apply only when the relevant conditions are met.
| Route | IELTS | PTE Academic |
|---|---|---|
| Standard threshold | 6.0 | 47 |
| Package A | 5.5 | 39 |
| Package B | 5.0 | 31 |
Package A: an eligible package with at least 10 weeks of ELICOS, or a qualifying foundation or pathway program. Package B: an eligible package with at least 20 weeks of ELICOS.
Source: Home Affairs Student visa, Step by step → Gather your documents → Student visa English language requirements. The IELTS entries here are overall scores; this visa table does not add a universal “no band below 5.5” requirement. A course can impose its own skill minimums.
ELICOS means English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students. The current instrument LIN 25/090, section 6 and Schedules 1–2, sets the conditions: at least 10 or 20 weeks is required for the corresponding ELICOS concession, and only qualifying foundation or specified pathway arrangements count. Ask your provider to confirm the package and its timing; adding any short English course does not automatically qualify.
Did you take the test on or before 6 August 2025?
Home Affairs lists these earlier-test overall thresholds separately:
| Route | IELTS | PTE Academic |
|---|---|---|
| Standard threshold | 6.0 | 50 |
| Package A | 5.5 | 42 |
| Package B | 5.0 | 36 |
Source: the earlier-test table on the same Home Affairs page. Test age and the applicable evidence rules still matter. Do not select whichever table gives you the more convenient target.
Test validity, evidence and accepted formats
Under LIN 25/090, section 6, the two-year test window is measured before application when the evidence is provided with the application, or before the decision when it is not. Section 7 specifies exemption categories. Check the conditions that apply to you; “valid for two years” alone does not explain the relevant reference date.
The Student visa eligibility page explains that English evidence can be requested during processing even if it was not required initially. Use the official Document Checklist Tool for your passport country and education provider.
Home Affairs requires approved tests at secure test centres and does not accept entirely online or at-home tests. Its current list includes IELTS Academic, IELTS General Training and PTE Academic; PTE Core is not the PTE product listed. Check the full official test and format rules before booking. University acceptance is a separate check, including whether an academic test is required.
Your course can require a different score
A real example: the University of Sydney's English requirements page states a standard IELTS overall requirement of 6.5 with no band below 6.0, while warning that some courses and faculties differ. It directs applicants to course pages and its current concordance table for other accepted tests. This is a university-wide starting point, not confirmation of admission to a particular course.
Create a short target sheet from your own offer or course page:
- Exact course, intake and accepted test version.
- Required overall score and each individual skill minimum.
- Test-age rule and the date by which results must arrive.
- Whether any English package or waiver is confirmed in writing.
Then compare the course requirements with the applicable visa evidence rules. Keep both sources on the sheet. Do not turn an overall IELTS–PTE conversion into a university's admission policy or a skilled-migration score requirement.
Try it: does this score meet both targets?
Fictional practice example: a learner took IELTS Academic in September 2026. Assume the standard visa score threshold applies and their course offer requires 6.5 overall with every skill at least 6.0. Their report shows overall 6.5, with Listening 7.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 5.5 and Speaking 6.5.
Which target still needs attention: the visa score threshold, the course score requirement, or neither?
Reveal the answer and next practice step
The course's Writing requirement still needs attention. The overall score clears the standard visa score threshold in this example, but Writing is half a band below the fictional offer's minimum. This arithmetic does not establish that the learner meets all visa or admission conditions.
A useful next step is a Writing diagnostic. Note the weakness identified in the feedback, revise one paragraph to address it and attempt a fresh prompt. Keep practising the other skills too. A practice estimate helps plan work; only an accepted official result can supply test evidence.
Prepare for the requirement you actually need
Start with IELTS Reading questions with answers, IELTS speaking practice or PTE Retell Lecture audio practice. Use one attempt to identify what to work on next, then build a routine around that weakness.
BandLadder offers a 30k+ IELTS question library and a 25k+ PTE question library, AI practice feedback and prediction resources. Create an account to continue in your chosen exam; full library access depends on your plan and free evaluation limits apply. Prediction resources provide practice topics, not guaranteed exam questions. Practice scores are not official test results.
For a preparation routine, use the IELTS study plan or PTE four-week plan. Recheck your course and visa sources before booking. Use the official Student visa page for fees, financial evidence and processing guidance rather than treating an English-score guide as a complete application checklist.
Comparing Australia with other study destinations? Our study-abroad English requirements overview helps you check course admission, visa evidence and accepted test versions separately before setting your practice target.
